Biology: The Dynamics of Life, North Carolina Edition
Section 1: What is biology?
[Link] types of trees lose their leaves in winter in order to avoid freezing. What is this an
example of?
A) a species
B) a response
C) an organization
D) an environment
2. Organisms are able to get __________ from food.
A) characteristics
B) energy
C) homeostasis
D) evolution
3. __________ is a group of organisms that can interbreed and successfully produce fertile
offspring.
A) A community
B) A biosphere
C) An ecosystem
D) A species
4. Which of these terms describes an organism's ability to maintain a stable internal
environment?
A) interaction
B) homeostasis
C) isolation
D) reproduction
5. Living things are considered organisms if they possess which of the following characteristics?
A) incapability of adjusting to environmental changes
B) lack of orderly structure
C) inability to produce offspring
D) ability to grow and develop
Biology: The Dynamics of Life, North Carolina Edition
Section 1: Organisms and Their Environment
[Link] the abiotic factor labeled in the ecosystem shown in Figure 2-5.
A) butterfly
B) rock
C) mouse
D) tree
2. The organisms growing on the log in Figure 2-8 are ____?
A) autotrophs
B) producers
C) carnivores
D) decomposers
3. The group of animals in Figure 2-6 is an example of what?
A) ecosystem
B) population
C) community
D) biosphere
4. Where is the biosphere in Figure 2-4?
A) Earth’s crust
B) core
C) upper mantle
D) mantle
5. What type of cycle is depicted in Figure 2-10?
A) carbon
B) phosphorus
C) nitrogen
D) water
6. What type of ecosystem is shown in Figure 2-11?
A) population
B) terrestrial
C) acquatic
D) abiotic
7. Referring to Figure 2-1, suppose 10 000 units of energy are available at the level of the grasses.
What is the total number of energy units lost by the time energy reaches the coyote?
A) 9990 units
B) 990 units
C) 9900 units
D) 90 units
8. In the energy pyramid shown in Figure 2-7, which level has the smallest number of organisms?
A) birds
B) fox
C) grasshoppers
D) grass
9. Which organism shown in the pyramid receives the highest percentage of energy from the
Sun?
A) grass
B) birds
C) fox
D) grasshoppers
10. The organism shown in Figure 2-12 is involved in which type of symbiosis?
A) commensalism
B) parasitism
C) predatorism
D) mutualism
Biology: The Dynamics of Life, North Carolina Edition
Section 2: Nutrition and Energy Flow
[Link] air in our atmosphere contains approximately 78 percent of which of these elements?
A) nitrogen
B) carbon
C) calcium
D) phosphorous
2. Which of these statements is true?
A) Owls are herbivores and bees are decomposers.
B) Fungi are omnivores and squirrels are scavengers.
C) Lions are decomposers and bears are carnivores.
D) Black vultures are scavengers and grasshoppers are herbivores.
3. Rabbits, elephants, and squirrels are examples of __________.
A) herbivores
B) carnivores
C) producers
D) scavengers
4. Which of these organisms breaks down and releases nutrients from other dead organisms?
A) herbivores
B) producers
C) decomposers
D) carnivores
5. What element is considered the building block of all the molecules of life?
A) hydrogen
B) sodium
C) carbon
D) magnesium
Biology: The Dynamics of Life, North Carolina Edition
Section 2: Nutrition and Energy Flow
[Link] of these statements is true?
A) Grasslands are identified by their permanently frozen ground called permafrost.
B) Deciduous forests are populated with broad-leaved hardwood trees that lose their
foliage every year.
C) Tropical rain forests are communities that occur in climates that have a defined
dry season with rainfall totals less than 50 cm of rain per year.
D) The soils in tundras usually have a large humus content.
2. Which marine biome is characterized by deep water depths that never receive sunlight?
A) a lake
B) a bog
C) an aphotic zone
D) an estuary
3. Which of these is a characteristic of a tropical rain forest?
A) populated with squirrels, bears, and deer
B) location close to the Equator
C) relatively few trees per hectare
D) short, mild summers
4. The portion of the shoreline that lies between the low tide line and the high tide line is called
the __________.
A) aphotic zone
B) intertidal zone
C) estuary
D) wetlands
5. This graph shows annual precipitation versus temperatures for various biomes. Based on the
data in the graph, which biome has annual precipitation between 275-325 cm?
A) savanna
B) desert
C) temperate rain forest
D) tundra
Biology: The Dynamics of Life, North Carolina Edition
Section 1: Population Dynamics
1. This graph shows population growth of houseflies. Based on the data in the graph, which of
these statements is true?
A) The population size shows a straight-line increase.
B) At the beginning of the year, there are no houseflies in the population.
C) All of the population will be dead at the end of one year.
D) Growth of the housefly population begins to increase rapidly about 3/4 of the way
through the first year.
2. A population of rabbits experiences an increase over time. Which of these statements about
that population is true?
A) The population may face increased competition due to resource depletion.
B) The population my face decreased competition due to resource depletion.
C) The population may experience straight-line growth due to resource depletion.
D) The population may experience exponential growth due to resource depletion.
3. Which of these is an explanation of why a population can fluctuate once it has reached carrying
capacity?
A) Limiting factors can influence the number of organisms in a population once it
reaches carrying capacity.
B) The number of organisms decreases but never increases once it reaches carrying
capacity.
C) All populations experience exponential growth once they reach carrying capacity.
D) A population of organisms always grows rapidly once it reaches carrying capacity.
4. An environment's __________ is the number of organisms of a certain species that can be
supported indefinitely.
A) density
B) stability
C) exponential growth
D) carrying capacity
5. Which of these is NOT a characteristic of a rapid life-history organism?
A) small body size
B) long life span
C) early reproduction age
D) rapid period of time until maturation
